A Thousand Words
by Late Night Iridescence
Summary: An ASL ficlet collection. Gen and slash. #12 - That time Sabo wrote drunken porn about his brother. Sabo/Ace
1. next stop, new life

Title: next stop, new life

Characters: Sabo, Ace, Luffy

Word Count: 134

Rating: G

Summary: The three of them, finally off on their promised adventure.

The bus trundled along, the occasional jolting pothole not enough to wake the two sleeping men, dark heads pressed close as they snored. Sabo smiled down at them, tracing patterns through their hair as boundless green country passed in a blur. The view outside the smudged glass panes was really quite lovely, yet Sabo ignored it in favor of watching his brothers nap all tangled together, arms linked and Luffy's foot tucked behind Ace's own.

When Luffy mumbled words incoherent-affectionate, fingers gripping tight at his loose white sleeve, Sabo sighed softly and buried his face against the sweet curve of his youngest brother's throat. He drifted, heart filled to bursting with the bright and shining future waiting at the end of this road. The three of them, finally off on their promised adventure.

Together.

* * *

A/N - What's this, you ask? These, my friend, are drabbles I wrote based off of inspiring pieces of fanart I discovered while ogling Japanese art sites. It began with just this one, originally posted on my Tumblr, and then I wrote another one. And another. And yet another. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.

If you'd like to see the fanart in question, head over to my LiveJournal and check out the drabble tag. Easy, right?

This one is special in that it spawned a plot bunny large enough to support a fic of at least a few chapters. Expect it…eventually.

I'll be posting these weekly until I run out.


	2. a little more hesitant

Title: a little more hesitant

Characters: Luffy, Sabo, Ace

Word Count: 380

Rating: PG

Summary: Time was elastic here.

Luffy knew he was dreaming even before opening his eyes; grass ticklish and fragrant beneath him, stinging sea breeze teasing at his nose, two small spots of warmth on either side, both breathing and shifting and very much alive. One head dark, the other light, and Luffy almost couldn't bare it after everything that had happened not long enough ago, feeling his two most precious people curled so close when neither would be there to brighten his world after he woke.

But Sabo sat up and smiled down at him and then Ace was doing the same, a little more reserved, a little more hesitant in his happiness - this was very much the Ace of ten years passed, the Ace who couldn't bring himself to love as freely or openly as the Ace of mere months ago had…

Sabo reached across Luffy's body to poke at a freckled cheek, drawing a half-scowl from the other boy. Luffy caught Sabo's gaze and grinned when the young ex-noble raised an eyebrow in suggestion. What was he doing, lying here all melancholy when he should be enjoying a chance to play with his brothers?

Luffy grabbed them both, Ace by the ankle and one hand tucked under Sabo's thigh, surging to his feet and holding tight. Ace dangled upside down, spitting curses around mouthfuls of laughter and swinging his tiny fists ineffectually at Luffy's scarred chest. Sabo shook with merriment at the sight, pointing at Ace mockingly from the relative safety offered by the crook of Luffy's elbow.

He couldn't be sure how long they stayed like that, roughhousing in the dirt or racing across fields of sunflowers, windmills spinning lazily in the distance. Time was elastic here.

The inevitable did happen, and when next Luffy blinked open his eyes orange sunlight peeked over the horizon and Rayleigh was leaning over him, face softened with understanding.

It got easier after that. Luffy trained, pushed beyond his limits and watched in satisfaction as the walls between himself and the power to protect his nakama, to ensure he never lost anyone ever again, shattered one after another. And somewhere in all the learning two years swept by, and Luffy returned home, heart more worn than it had been, heavier, but also full of hope.


	3. miniature

Title: miniature

Characters: Sabo, Luffy, Ace

Word Count: 527

Rating: PG

Summary: "Nothing's changed," the boy observed. "They're idiotic as ever."

Sabo could only stare, baffled, as Luffy lifted the boy to get a closer look, one that wasn't in the least bit necessary. He was Luffy in miniature through and through: the distinctive scar curving below his left eye, the wild black hair, his eyes wide not with fear but wonder as he stared his older self in the face. The straw hat was missing, but Sabo would bet his life it couldn't be far off.

Not three seconds later he was proven right as two small figures poked their heads around the corner, the hat in question grasped between the fingers of a child who, Sabo realized with a distant pulse of shock, must have been his own younger self. And Ace was there too, wariness etched in every line of his body.

The older Ace peered eagerly over Luffy's shoulder at the tiny version of his little brother. The seven year old lit up with delight when he recognized Ace, arms shooting out in obvious invitation. But when Ace tried to take him from Luffy's hands, fully intending to steal some shameless cuddle time, Luffy darted away. He tucked his younger self firmly against his chest, unwilling to let him go just yet.

At this point the other two children raced out from behind their wall, worried their brother was going to be harmed. Ace made the mistake of lunging at Luffy; the older pirate took one look at his adorably frustrated freckled face and caught him around the waist. He squeezed both children in an enthusiastic hug.

Sabo noticed his own younger self hanging back, reluctant to get swept up in Luffy's overwhelming affection now it was clear neither of his brothers were in any real danger. Taking pity on the poor boy, Sabo wandered over and laid an encouraging hand on his top hat.

"I wouldn't worry about them," he said, jerking his thumb towards the four Ds. Ace was now chasing Luffy across the grass, loudly demanding he surrender his kid self, Luffy could keep little Ace, that he was being greedy and that he was the older brother, damn it, you listen to me!

"Nothing's changed," the boy observed. "They're idiotic as ever."

Sabo eased himself to the ground, stretching his legs out to hear his ankle give a satisfying crack. "More so, I'm afraid," he said, smiling when little Sabo settled on his knees. "Theirs is the kind of stupid that only gets worse with time."

"But you still-"

"-can't live without them," Sabo finished.

Little Sabo nodded decisively, scooting up his older self's thighs to get more comfortable. Knowing their brothers, they'd be here for quite a while before Ace and Luffy would even consider sitting down to figure out how it was possible for the six to be existing in the same space. And, little Sabo thought, he knew them very well indeed.

He reached up to place little Luffy's straw hat on Sabo's bare head, and the wry quirk of lips he received in return told him Sabo understood exactly what he was thinking, that he agreed wholeheartedly. Ace and Luffy would always, always be their brothers.


	4. enchanted

Title: enchanted

Characters: Ace and Sabo, slight Ace/Sabo

Word Count: 583

Rating: PG

Summary: He had no idea how long he simply stood, watching and listening and wearing the most embarrassing expression of awe.

Warning: Pre-slash.

Ace was on his way out of the high school when he heard it; soft and sweet and rich, like the highest quality chocolate melting on your tongue. He'd had a shitty day, been yelled at in every damn one of his classes for falling asleep - as if he could help it - and he just wanted to get home, take off his shoes and maybe the rest of his clothes and relax, but the high, trembling notes tugged irresistibly at his senses.

Ace was almost helpless drawn towards the music. It led him down abandoned corridors and around corners until the music hall came into view - a part of the school he'd never had a reason for visiting before. As he approached the double doors the music grew louder. Without a second though, Ace cracked them open to peek inside.

The theater was empty but for a lone figure perched on a stool mid-stage. From this distance, Ace could only make out blond hair and the instrument being played: a violin, polished wood catching the light and reflecting patterns across heavy red curtains. Ace edged inside, taking great care that the doors shut noiselessly behind him, intent on getting a closer look.

What he saw stole his breath away. The blond boy had his eyes squeezed closed in concentration, lashes fluttering gently against his cheeks but the rest of his features were smooth, peaceful. Lithe fingers danced across taut violin strings, his other hand wrapped firmly around the slender object he used to coax those stunning sounds into existence.

Ace lost track of time. He had no idea how long he simply stood, watching and listening and wearing the most embarrassing expression of awe. His face felt hot.

Eventually the blond boy noticed him there, one last note wavering in the air between them as he stopped playing. Ace wanted to beg him to continue, but there really was a limit to how low his pride would let him sink.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked. The bliss was gone, replaced by a furrow of confusion or annoyance, Ace couldn't tell which. "I thought everyone had gone home already."

"Detention," Ace muttered, gaze dropping to the plush carpet. Guilt was building inside him; he'd obviously eavesdropped on something meant to be private.

When the boy didn't say anything else, just kept frowning at Ace as if he was a difficult puzzle he fully intended to crack, he turned to leave. But Ace had never been a coward, and as he pushed the doors open, he said, without looking back, "It was beautiful."

The renewed flush of his cheeks was more than Ace could bear. He was ready to run, tail tucked between his legs, until a hand grabbed his wrist with surprising strength. There was a tense moment when Ace let himself be held in place and the boy just kept staring, and then his face lit up with a smile and he said, "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah," Ace breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the pleased curve of the boy's lips.

His smile widened, happy with the praise of a stranger, and began pulling Ace back towards the stage. "What's your name? I'm Sabo."

"Ace," he said, let Sabo press him down into one of the padded audience seats.

"Well met, Ace." Sabo climbed onto the stage, picking up his violin from where it had been leaning against the stool. "Wanna hear more?"

* * *

A/N - And so begins the most epic bromance of all high school AUs.


	5. paradise

Title: paradise

Characters: Ace, Luffy

Word Count: 322

Rating: G

Summary: "It's so pretty here, Ace," Luffy said, beaming up at the older boy as he returned from the water, granules of fine white clinging to his toes. "We've gotta come here again!"

It was a hidden part of the island they'd discovered entirely by accident, a small section of beach found by Luffy tumbling off a cliff and Ace diving after him. Ace had been ready to berate his brother the second he realized they'd landed on sand and not in water - no life saving necessary - but Luffy was whipping his head in mad circles, eyes wide and sparkling with awe, so Ace glanced around to see what had him so excited.

The little beach was completely cut off from the rest of the shoreline by the sheer rock they'd just leapt from. Ace waded out into the cool, shimmering water until it lapped at his knees and was then left flailing for balance as the sand abruptly dropped away beneath his feet. There were only two ways to get here: swimming through the possibly monster infested sea, or scaling the cliffs. He could tell no one else had visited this place for a very long time; everything was perfectly pristine.

"It's so pretty here, Ace," Luffy said, beaming up at the older boy as he returned from the water, granules of fine white clinging to his toes. "We've gotta come here again!"

And so they had. Some nights they spread themselves out to sleep beneath the stars, but sand wasn't the most comfortable of mattresses. Ace brought the hammocks as a surprise for Luffy, bit at the inside of his lip to hide the grin as Luffy threw himself into one, squirming only a little and unconscious in no time at all despite it still being full daylight.

Ace huffed in amusement, fetched a blanket he'd smuggled down along with the hammocks and laid it over his brother's prone form. And since there was no one around to see, since Luffy was just too precious sprawled out in the shade, Ace allowed an affectionate half-smile to sneak slowly across his face.


	6. clapped in irons

Title: clapped in irons

Characters: Sabo, Ace

Word Count: 467

Rating: PG

Summary: "Because I was busy trying to keep your narcoleptic ass from _drowning in your soup!_"

"This is your fault!"

"How the hell is this _my_ fault? You're the one who didn't notice that Marine until it was too late!"

"Because I was busy trying to keep your narcoleptic ass from _drowning in your soup!_"

"Shut up, it's not like I can help it…"

Sabo sighed and concentrated on the bustling marketplace below, keeping an eye out for the obnoxiously clever plainclothes Marine who'd clapped them in irons the second Sabo had turned his attention to saving Ace from dying pathetically.

Except all this could have been avoided if the cuffs really were irons and not kairoseki. The chain linking his left hand to Ace's right scrapped loudly against the concrete roof they'd taken refuge on as what seemed like an entire battalion of Marines stormed across the town in search of them. Ordinarily this wouldn't pose much of a challenge; as a tag team, he and Ace could wipe out such numbers in no time at all. But with the kairoseki draining Ace's strength he'd be no more than a useless lump in a fight, good only for limiting the movement of Sabo's arm.

Why Ace had chosen a Marine-run island for their meeting spot Sabo would never understand.

"Sabo," Ace muttered, snuffling pitifully against his ear. "I'm chilly."

Sabo realized Ace was shivering. When he touched his brother's shoulder in concern, his skin was startlingly cool in comparison to the heat that normally poured from his body like water. There was quite a breeze sweeping across their roof, and it had affected Ace, whose fire was locked away, more severely than expected.

"Come here," he said, and Ace shuffled closer. Sabo rubbed briskly at Ace's arms and back, trying to work some warmth into his limbs, and wished he could offer Ace his jacket. He couldn't get it off because of the damn cuff.

He'd turned away from the scurrying Marines so it was rather a surprise when Ace suddenly pointed downwards and asked, "Is that him?"

There were two men not far from the building they'd perched on, one in uniform and another in regular clothes, gesturing animatedly at each other. Even from high up Sabo recognized the second man as the plainclothes Marine who'd caused this mess. The key they needed was somewhere on his person. Sabo was perfectly willing to beat him into a bloody pulp to get it.

Ace rose unsteadily to his feet, shaking off the supporting hand Sabo offered him. The ex-noble couldn't help but smile; for all that Ace acted a damn fool sometimes, he was serious when it mattered. There was no one Sabo felt safer having at his back.

"Ready?" Ace grinned and raised his fist in answer. Sabo tapped it with his own and, as one, they leapt into the fray.


	7. louder than words

Title: louder than words

Characters: Sabo, Chopper, Luffy

Word Count: 642

Rating: PG

Summary: "I don't think shooting your customers is wise."

It's the first time Chopper has visited a bookstore on his own since Robin joined the crew - going together had become a tradition of sorts, stemming from their mutual love of learning - because Robin promised Nami a shopping day and Chopper is too terrified of getting caught up in feminine enthusiasm to dare try tagging along.

The door chimes when he opens it. Chopper starts at the cheerful noise, unreasonable nervous. For all the months he's been traveling with his nakama, Chopper is still slightly wary of other humans. It's rare for him to go anywhere alone.

When no one comes charging at him with a sword, he scurries inside and immediately begins searching for the shop's selection of medical texts. He finds them easily enough, eyes lighting up as he scans shelf after shelf of books he's never seen, though there are quite a few he remembers from Doctorine's collection.

A blond man is perusing the shelves not far from where Chopper stands, several piles of books at his feet. A shy, darting glance reveals them to be on navigation, and Chopper wonders if the man is a sailor - it briefly crosses Chopper's mind that he might be a Marine, and he ducks behind the cover of a text on the healing properties of flowers before dismissing the idea. The man's clothes are too fine, more like those he discovered in the abandoned closets of Drum Castle than any an ordinary Marine could afford.

He catches Chopper peeking and smiles. When it seems as though the man is actually going to open his mouth and talk to him, Chopper hurriedly buries his face in the book he's holding, not wanting to be rude but too embarrassed to engage in conversation with someone he's been staring at.

Just as Chopper is about to grab another book, he hears swearing and the distinct sound of a weapon being cocked; he gasps, swinging around to see a balding old man pointing a gun directly between his eyes. Chopper can only gape, the shock of his wildly irrational fears coming true freezing him to the spot.

"Damn raccoons," the guy grumbles, and then he's pulling trigger and Chopper still can't move-

Buckshot slams into the higher shelves, sending slivers of wood and torn pages scattering through the air. The shot was nearly point blank range. Chopper cannot believe he's alive.

"Excuse me, sir," says the blond man. His hand is wrapped tightly around the barrel of the shotgun, aiming it away from Chopper's body. "I don't think shooting your customers is wise."

"It's a bloody animal!"

He raises an eyebrow at Chopper and asks, "Are you an animal?"

"No! Well, I guess so, but I'm also a-"

"Devil Fruit user," the man finishes. The elderly store owner is visibly shaken to hear Chopper speak. He takes a step back, wanting to retreat, but the blond man's grip on his weapon prevents him from leaving. He eventually releases the gun and adds, casually, "I'm pretty sure raccoons don't have horns, either. You're a reindeer, right?"

"T-that's right!" Chopper beams, pleased that someone finally identified his species correctly.

He crouches beside Chopper, grinning as the old guy mumbles an apology and shuffles off. "Are these medical books? You a doctor? Wait, let me introduce myself…"

"Chopper!" Luffy yells as the doctor boards their ship late that evening. "Where were you? Dinner is already gone!" He bounds over and scoops Chopper into his arms.

The reindeer shifts around so his hat isn't being squished by Luffy's chest and says, "This nice guy saved me from being shot and I ended up eating with him."

"He must be exceptional for you to take to him so quickly," Robin says, smiling at Chopper over an unfolded newspaper.

"What's his name?" Luffy asks.

"Sabo! Isn't that so cool?"


	8. sakazuki investigations

Title: sakazuki investigations

Characters: Sabo, Luffy, Ace

Word Count: 633

Rating: PG

Summary: "Who's that funny smelling lady?"

Sabo eyed his small digital clock with trepidation, swirling a stray pen between his fingers and hoping against hope the client would show sooner rather than later. She was already half an hour late; he'd sent Ace and Luffy out for coffee and snacks over twenty minutes ago, and even his easily distracted brothers wouldn't take too much longer to return from a convenience store five blocks away.

If the client didn't arrive _right now_, she'd meet them. Such a thing could only lead to a repeat of the _last_ three times a client had encountered Ace and Luffy-

He heard footsteps in the hallway - the _clickclick_ of high heels - and stared at the door, willing it open and nearly sighing in relief when it did. A tall, elegantly dressed red-head stepped inside, hair pulled back in a neat bun and expensive gold dangles swinging as she surveyed the cramped office. It wasn't much, but the small three-room apartment served as both home and work space until they could afford something a bit more upscale.

"Mrs. Black, I presume?" Sabo rose from his seat and gestured to the chair across from him. "I'm Sabo. Please, sit and tell me how I can help you."

The woman looked down her nose at the plush armchair as if its mere proximity would dirty her clothes, but she eased herself onto the very edge.

_You might as well be standing,_ Sabo thought. _That's our best chair, too._ He'd be offended if he wasn't used to this same behavior from his own parents. Nothing was good enough for the rich and arrogant.

It was a simple case of cheating spouses: the client, certain that her husband was having an affair with some other woman, wanted proof before she drew up divorce papers, determined to drain the man's bank accounts dry and humiliate him in the process. Sabo almost felt bad for the guy. With such a frigid, spiteful wife, he was probably miserable.

Sabo meticulously detailed everything in the trusty notebook he carried everywhere, and they were nearly finished when there was a thunderous crash that seemed to shake the entire building.

Ace and Luffy were home.

"Sakazuki Investigations will take care of everything, ma'am." Sabo hurried around his desk and swung the door open, praying to god the woman would leave before his brothers finished tearing the stairs apart. "I'll call you with an update in a few days."

"I see," she said, miffed at being rushed for whatever reason. She'd just gathered her things when Ace and Luffy tumbled through the doorway in a frenzy of laughter and flailing limbs and ridiculous old-timey detective hats that didn't suit them anyway.

Sabo pressed a hand to his face, terrified to see the disgusted expression he was sure their client was sporting. Only when he felt an insistent tug on his sleeve did Sabo dare peek between his fingers.

Once Luffy had Sabo's attention, he pointed at Mrs. Black - who stood gaping at the two black haired men - and asked, "Who's that funny smelling lady?"

Said 'funny smelling lady' gasped and sputtered indignantly as Sabo's mind raced for a way to smooth this over. Ace, very much _not helping at all_, collapsed onto his back in a fit of mirth.

"Luffy, that's perfume!" Sabo turned to Mrs. Black, stumbling as she pushed past him and stepped across Ace's quaking body to reach the exit. "Ma'am, please wait! He didn't mean it as an insult!"

She slammed the door behind her.

Ace and Luffy were both laughing now. Their giggles subsided as they slowly became aware of Sabo, fists white-knuckle clenched and trembling with rage, towering over where they crouched on the floor.

"…Sabo? Wait, Sabo, whatever it is, we're sorr- OW! WAIT WAIT WAI-"


	9. the last ten years

Title: the last ten years

Characters: Sabo, Ace

Word Count: 478

Rating: PG

Summary: God, he's alive. Sabo is _alive_.

This is the third uninhabited island Ace has found himself on since his search for Blackbeard began, following leads that leave him absolutely nowhere. He's frustrated because this last one had seemed legit, a sighting verified by multiple witnesses and recently to boot.

There were no signs of a pirate crew landing here in the past few months, let alone a few days.

Ace flops back into the sand. It's too late in the day to bother moving on; he'll camp here for the night and hope the next island isn't an overly long ride away. Sleeping in his boat is far from comfortable.

There's a rustling, an animal creeping in the bushes, and Ace closes his eye against the glare of setting sun. They fly open when a low chuckle sounds behind him.

"Man, honestly. I thought you'd never show up. You know how hard it is to organize a false sighting?"

His first glimpse of the man standing there sends chills down his spine - that hat, that weapon, that _grin_ - everything about him so instantly familiar it hurts, like a lance through the heart.

The brim of his godforsaken top hat shadows his face. Ace wants to rush forward and rip it off, get a good look at the features hiding underneath and scream or cry or pass out or maybe all three at once.

He doesn't get a chance because the man is already reaching up to pull it off, grin still firmly in place as feathery blond hair and wide, warm black eyes are revealed too slowly for Ace's tastes. That urge to scream is rising rapidly.

When the hat comes off it's as though the last ten years never happened. Ace is a kid again, rampaging through the forests of Mt. Colbo with his brothers beside him, causing mayhem on the streets of Goa, weeping as he struggles to read the last words of the first person who ever accepted him…

"Missed me?" he asks, that _bastard_.

Ace closes the gap between them before he even realizes he's moved, tackling Sabo to the ground so he's lying stretched out across his body. Their bare chests are pressed together; he can feel Sabo breathing. Tiny, hot gusts of air. The steady rise and fall of his lungs.

God, he's alive. Sabo is _alive_.

"There's no way I would," Ace says, choking on the burn in his throat, "miss an asshole like you."

* * *

It's funny how you set out on a search for one thing and find something else entirely. Perhaps this new something is disastrous, unfortunate.

Perhaps it's a blessing from the god you never believed in.

Who knows what Ace has done to deserve it, but that's exactly what this is. Blackbeard will just have to take the back-burner for now.

They've got a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

A/N - Naughty Sabo, abusing the revolutionary army's info network to set up a surprise meeting with your brother. Yep, the adult!Sabo in my head works for Dragon.


	10. anniversary

Title: anniversary

Characters: Sabo, mentioned Ace and Luffy

Word Count: 717

Summary: It was the fourth anniversary of _that_ day.

Sabo dragged his feet across the worn cobblestones of a Grand Line town with a name his sluggish mind failed to recall. Oh, he'd certainly been told; years of Sabo asking over and over again _where are we going next?_ had long ago taught his nakama to tell him as soon as they were aware their destination. Sabo always wanted to know. For his book.

The book he hadn't written in over a week.

It didn't matter how many hours Sabo spent staring at a blank sheet of parchment, pen poised in readiness - he couldn't bring himself to write a single sentence, a single word, a single goddamn letter. Except when he could, and those pages were torn to scraps and burned in disgust.

He knew perfectly well where this block was coming from. It was the fourth anniversary of _that_ day. Of his disastrous attempt to leave Goa behind him.

Four years today. Four years his brothers have surely thought him dead.

_No. _Ace and Luffy were the last thing he wanted to think about. Sabo lifted his eyes from where they were trained on the ground and searched the landscape of the busy town, desperate for something to steer his attention away from the inevitably morbid direction of his thoughts.

Had Luffy cried? No, that was a stupid question. How _long_ had he cried? Now that, _that _- (His stomach churned. Tiny, sweetly smiling Luffy, _god._)

And Ace. For something he had done to bring his best, most beloved friend to tears…

Sabo dug blunt nails into the skin of his palms until it split, wet rivulets of red splashing onto dusty stones, only to become one dark stain among many. Just another small part of this town's story.

Exhausted from a week's worth of sleepless nights, eyes itching relentlessly and mouth filled with the bitter taste of guilt, Sabo turned on his heels to retrace his path back to the ship. He would find no relief from his memories in a place that echoed with the sound of laughter.

A shout reached him through the fog of depression. It was a vendor selling a steaming batch of fresh meat buns, and an image rose to the front of Sabo's mind, unbidden:

"_Ace, Ace!" Luffy yelled, despite the fact Ace stood beside him. He tugged on the older boy's sleeve and pointed eagerly at a cart from which the tantalizing scent of meat wafted. "Can we get one? I want one, please? Please?"_

_Ace scowled, grasped Luffy's ear between two fingers and pulled, leaving him to flail wildly for balance. "We just ate!"_

"_But Aaaaaaace," Luffy whimpered, lower lip trembling and damp eyes widening dangerously, "I'm hungry again!"_

"…_Fine." Grumbling, Ace approached the elderly owner of cart and asked for three, forking over some of the allowance Makino occasionally sent them…_

Sabo realized he was smiling only when his cheeks began to ache. He'd stopped walking, was standing in the middle of the market and grinning like an idiot as he remembered that particular instance of Ace surrendering to Luffy's incredibly puppy-like expressions.

The smile faded, but lingered at the edges of his mouth. Two children ran across the street, chasing an escaped ball. He could hear Luffy's voice as if his little brother was there with him: _That looks fun, Sabo! Can we play with them?_

A woman wearing a beautiful dress of floaty blue silk accidentally stepped in a muddy puddle, gasping as the dirty water soaked into the hem. And then Ace, saying: _Who the hell wears clothes like that to go shopping?_

His walk back the ship was peppered with remarks, small observations Sabo could imagine his brothers making. A smile blossomed across his face once more.

And when Sabo returned to his room, he reached immediately for his pen. The words tumbled forth like a tidal wave this time, not for his book but in the form of a letter, similar to the one he left them forever ago, detailing his experiences and adventures of the last four years. He wrote and wrote and wrote until he finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning he stumbled onto the deck, hand a giant cramp and fingers colored black with ink, to ask, "Where are we going next?"


	11. a bright point of light

Title: a bright point of light  
Characters: Ace, Sabo  
Word Count: 1079  
Summary: Everyone else in this place looks dead. But you…you still have fire in your eyes.

Warning: Bit of an angstfest.

Ace hated it here.

Impel Down Orphanage was not an orphanage. At least, not in the usual sense of the word; the building was full of abandoned children, sure enough, but rather than an orphanage, Ace would more quickly liken it to a prison.

And it had nothing to do with the fact that Impel Down Orphanage shared a massive plot of land with a prison of the same name. Every child in here had one thing in common: each had a parent locked up in Impel Down, the highest security prison the world over, specially reserved for only the most heinous of criminals.

Such as Ace's father.

Ace refused to think about him, focusing instead on the stained ceiling of the room he shared with eleven other boys. They'd had a new kid in today, and Ace could hear the faint, choking sobs of his misery.

He could barely remember what it was like to cry.

Shit, but he hated it.

* * *

The others either ignored or outright avoided him. Ace made it his business to be an asshole, driving away anyone who approached him with deathly calm fury. It took the new kid all of one encounter to understand the vital lesson all learned if they wanted to spend their days in relative peace: if you left Ace alone, he'd return the favor.

He was sitting alone at a pitted wooden table, chewing at the bland food that had been placed in front of him, when a group of men entered the room. Most were proprietors of the orphanage, but in their midst was a man Ace hadn't seen before. Finely dressed, cultured accent - he was obviously one of the nobles that occasionally dropped in for brief 'tours'. Impel Down was funded by the nobility of Mariejoa, after all.

They had to check on their investment.

Yet it wasn't the man who held Ace's attention. At his heels stood a small blond boy - perhaps his own age - with a floppy top hat and a gap-toothed grin. Only that grin looked more like a grimace; he couldn't have enjoyed being here any more than Ace did.

The boy's eyes surveyed the rundown cafeteria with vague curiosity, expression neutral until his gaze landed on Ace, who was glowering hard enough to make the youngest children in the orphanage wet their pants in fear. Top Hat simply raised an eyebrow in surprise and stared back with renewed interest.

They watched each other in silence, Ace growing increasingly agitated and Top Hat blinking at him, completely unfazed, until the man - had to be his father - clapped a firm hand to his neck and steered him through the door. Before he disappeared from sight, Top Hat glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

What a weirdo.

* * *

Ace lay outside in what amounted to the orphanage's backyard, a small area of grass fenced in by a mass of chain-link and razor wire meant, they were told, to keep anyone from getting in.

No one had ever escaped Impel Down. Any idiot and their mother could tell the fence was for keeping the children in.

And, fuck it, Ace was minding his own goddamn business, not causing any of the trouble he was infamous for. Still someone insisted on crouching near his feet, blocking out his sun like a freakin' asshole. When Ace cracked open an eye and saw smugly luxurious boots - the kind Top Hat had worn - he closed his eye, counted to three, and sprung up swinging.

He managed a good hit before Top Hat got with the program and started fighting back. And though Top Hat had none of Ace's viciousness or refined skill, his enthusiasm made up for it. He was almost a match, and by the end of their tussle Ace was sporting a split lip and an throbbing across his cheekbone that was sure to become a full-blown bruise by tomorrow. Top Hat's nose was trickling blood, and it looked like that good punch would soon be an awesome shiner.

They looked at each other, hair in disarray and rumpled clothes hanging from their bodies. It was all Top Hat's fault, really. He burst out laughing, deep, genuine sounds of mirth erupting from his throat so suddenly that Ace couldn't help but get caught up in it. Soon they were both on the ground, roaring loudly enough to attract the attention of some kids inside.

"I'm Sabo," the boy gasped out between bouts of laughter. He weakly extended a hand.

"Ace," he replied, and took it.

For the first time in his pathetic life, Ace had a friend.

* * *

"Why did you pick me?"

"Everyone else in this place looks dead. But you…you still have fire in your eyes."

* * *

Sabo visited with his father every week. While the older man smoked cigars in a back room under the pretense of interacting with the kids, Ace and Sabo did their best to make the orphanage a playground.

"I wish I could take you outside," Sabo said as they leaned against the fence, fingers curved in interlocking metal diamonds. His voice was low and wistful. "We could explore the woods around my house. Maybe build a tree house."

"Yeah," Ace whispered. Until Sabo had come along, he'd done a perfectly acceptable job of forgetting that he was locked away, no better off than the prisoners in Impel Down. His crime was being born, and the sentence was twenty-five to life.

He hated Sabo for making him aware.

They fell silent, and when Sabo's pinky curled over his own, Ace said nothing.

* * *

Somehow, Ace was happy. Sabo made it too simple; he just had to be there, and Ace found smiles came easy and laughter easier still. His presence was a bright point of light in an otherwise dull, dreary world.

But with happiness came carelessness, They knew the consequences of being overly familiar where people could see, of broadcasting their friendship, but months went by. No one looked at them twice.

Slowly, they stopped hiding.

And then Sabo's father saw. Only Ace throwing his arm around Sabo's shoulders. Only Sabo grinning at him, pleased and mischievous. A split second of affection.

It was enough.

* * *

One day, Sabo clung desperately to Ace's wrist, tangled hands hidden behind their backs as Sabo's father told him it was time to leave, his face a storm of furious thunder.

One day, Sabo stopped coming.


	12. that time

Title: that time Sabo wrote drunken porn about his brother  
Pairing: Sabo/Ace  
Word Count: 930  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: Surely a quick glimpse can't hurt…

Being a high ranking, trusted member of the revolutionary army - led by their little brother's father, no less - certainly has its perks. Sabo had his very own ship, small enough that he could sail it by himself and just large enough to afford some luxury. Ace is a little bit jealous.

One of those luxuries is the bedroom, bigger than any Ace has slept in his entire goddamn life, one that includes an incredibly soft mattress - Ace finds that he spends most of these visits with Sabo passed out on it, and he's never been more glad for his narcolepsy - a connecting bathroom, and the sturdy, polished oak desk Sabo uses for more…intellectual pursuits.

Like writing.

He's good at it. Ace can tell that much from the quick glimpses he's caught over Sabo's shoulder, though his frustrating brother refuses to let him read the majority of his work. Something about it being a surprise when his book is finished.

Ace feels cheated. Who knows how many years it'll be before that happens?

And even though the bed is so comfortable he never wants to move again, there are sheets of parchment spread across the desk and Sabo is elsewhere, making them lunch. Surely a quick glimpse can't hurt…

So Ace drags himself slowly away from his slice of heaven and pads barefoot across the room, glancing guiltily at the door all the while, and shuffles through the pieces of paper until he comes across something that doesn't look official or written in code.

The pages leap out at him immediately. Instead of Sabo's neat, flowing script, the words are scrawled in messy print, uneven lines meandering sloppily and blots of ink smudged over whole sentences. At first he assumes it belongs to someone other than meticulous Sabo, but then catches sight of his name.

He squints, trying to make heads or tails of the nearly incomprehensible handwriting.

_Ace rears over me, raven locks falling across his sweaty, flushed face and luscious lips parted as he pants like a stallion. His bare chest gleams in the flickering candlelight. I cannot help but reach out and touch with wildly trembling fingers, cannot help mapping the plains and valleys of his defined muscles and the peaks of pale pink nipples the color delicate spring blossoms._

_When I scratch one with a ragged nail, Ace arches, groaning deep and hoarse. His hips crash against mine, sparking a blazing inferno of lust low in my abdomen. I claw at his shoulders, pleading silently for more._

_With a roguish grin, Ace cedes his mouth to a wet kiss. Our tongues duel, but soon enough he overpowers me and sinuously plunges further inside. His tantalizingly sweet taste sends my mind reeling._

_"Calm down, love," he says, pulling back, and that's when I realize just how harshly I am quaking. "We're just getting started. No need to rush…"_

_His hands, unnaturally warm from the cursed flames bestowed upon him, ease my loosened trousers down my thighs -_

The rest is a mad rush of gratuitous nudity, more phallic euphemisms than he can shake a stick at, and things he hadn't even been _aware_ two men could do with each other. Grunting. Groaning. Shouting. Writhing. All of it written from Sabo's point of view.

Ace is still standing there, desperately clutching the now crinkled pages and face burning hotter than his _unnatural flames_ can account for, when Sabo elbows the door open and comes striding in with a platter of sandwiches balanced on his palm. Ace can't look him in the eye, keeping his gaze riveted to the sheets of parchment. He wants to burn them and scatter their ashes in the sea. He wants to shove them in his pocket and pretend he isn't going to read it again later - much later, when he's alone - one hand holding the scrunched sheets close and the other shoved down the front of his shorts.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have the chance to do either before Sabo notices, gaze flitting between what he can imagine are his very, very red cheeks and the pages. It's only when Sabo's eyes go wide and frightened that Ace really _looks_ at his brother.

"I - Oh god, I'm so sorry about that. I was d-drunk, drunk like you wouldn't _believe_, and I meant to destroy it - _Ace_, please forgive me, though I'll understand if you can't bring yourself to -" Sabo is falling over himself, his usual elegance thrown out the window, replaced by this spluttered apology, and Ace suddenly knows that even though the terrible porn is the result of drunken escapades Ace is _definitely_ asking about later, this is something Sabo's been thinking of.

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Ace steps forward and puts an end to Sabo's apologetic babbling with a kiss. He keeps it light, cautious, waiting to see what Sabo will do. Ace is shocked by how badly he hopes Sabo accepts him; he's never really considered this before, but now that it's happening he can't imagine why the hell not.

Sabo makes a quiet, surprised sound that buzzes between their lips, and then he hesitantly leans closer, almost as if he expects to be shoved away.

_You idiot_, he thinks fondly.

"Sabo," he says aloud, "let's give some of those things a try, hm?"

The cheesy line is worth the smile Sabo gifts him with as he takes the pages, sets them on the edge of his amazing bed - for reference - and kisses Ace again.

_So_ worth it.

* * *

A/N - I can't write intentional badfic to save my life. Good thing I don't wanna be a troll when I grow up.


End file.
